Ask the Editors: How Many Miles is too Many?
Well let’s do some simple calculations for a closer look at just what’s been going on. A 1998 model would be 18-years old compared to the 2016 model years on dealership floors now. Obviously that means your ATV can now vote, smoke and post nude selfies on the net. More importantly it means its former owners have put an average of 335.44 miles (64.9 hours) per year on the machine.
While the mileage especially certainly falls into what we would consider average for a utility-based ATV, it’s important to remember two key factors when dealing with any machine, particularly the engine. 1) Not all miles are created equal and 2) The odometer reading becomes far less significant if regular maintenance has been performed.
We’ve encountered plenty of ATVs in our day that had fairly high mileage and hour readings that were used for menial tasks like gardening and tooling around the yard. Conversely we have seen our share of fairly low-mile specimens that were badly beaten and already on their last leg.
The same principles apply to maintenance. Simple things like regular oil changes and running a clean, oiled air filter can extend the life of an engine exponentially. Service records and receipts are invaluable in this regard. Major overhauls like a top end rebuild are another means of getting thousands of additional miles out of an ATV.
The bottom line is check the machine over for signs of neglect and perform regular maintenance where needed and let that be your guide to its lifespan over the cold numbers on the instrument pod.
